7 Steps for Preparing for Your Year-End Review

Based on what I’ve heard in my travels, a fair number of people dread prepping for their year-end review because the effort seems so daunting. I mean, really, how do you fully represent what you did all year when you can barely remember what you did last month and have three deadlines to meet by the end of the week?

Always seeking ways to help turn what you find daunting to desirable, I asked former Citi colleagues, Diane Baranello, now a personal branding coach, and Jenna McGraw, who was in our Global Leadership & Development function, for their ideas and insights on how to streamline and simplify the preparation process, which I distilled into these seven steps:

1. Keep a notebook of significant projects and accomplishments as they occur throughout the year.

Jenna suggests writing down your feelings of accomplishment, as well as what was actually done. She elaborates, “When you reflect back on those feelings, it will help to clarify the significance of what you did. Sometimes a task seems small when it is written on a list, but may involve difficult stakeholders or scarce resources. By writing down how proud you feel in the moment, you can remind yourself of the context of your success, which can add depth to a review conversation. Remember, it’s not just WHAT we do, but HOW it gets done that matters.”

According to Jenna, the idea is to avoid pulling out your goals for the first time at your review and finding they are no longer relevant. Current, updated goals can provide a solid foundation for a review conversation and should be agreed upon and revisited with your manager throughout the year. One thing we know for sure is that the work environment is constantly shifting and evolving, and priorities tend to change pretty quickly. Drive that conversation with your manager, rather than waiting for her to do it.

Current, updated goals can provide a solid foundation for a review conversation…

Diane suggests, for example, if you are in a P&L role, how much have you increased income over what period of time? If you are in a cost center rather than a profit center, how much have you reduced expenses over what period of time? If you provide a service, by what amount have you improved turnaround time or improved customer satisfaction?

6. Ask for client, peer, or management feedback throughout the year.

Solicit feedback after you’ve completed projects, campaigns, etc. and include them to support your performance.

7. Don’t hold back and keep your grievances for the year-end review discussion.

Ideally, the performance review is a summary of the accomplishments and challenges of the past year that should not have anything “new” included. Then, the bulk of the time can then be spent discussing your development, such as what opportunities will be available in the upcoming year for you to leverage your strengths and to develop in areas in which you have had little exposure.

Clearly, some of their ideas may be too late to benefit from this year, but there’s no time like the present to get the ball rolling for next year. As the adage goes, “the early bird gets the worm!”